Magician: Apprentice

Riftwar, Book 1

By: Raymond E. Feist

Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith

A worthy pupil . . . A dangerous quest

To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry.

Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to being again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.

Praise for Magician: Apprentice

“Totally gripping . . . A fantasy of epic scope, fast-moving action and vivid imagination.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Most exciting . . . A very worthy and absorbing addition to the fantasy field.”—Andre Norton

“The best new fantasty in years . . . has a chance of putting its aughor firmly on the trone next to Tolkien—and keeping him there.”—The Dragon Magazine

Critic reviews

“One of the world’s most successful fantasy fiction authors.”—The Guardian

“Understandably, this is one of the highest-regarded books in the world.”—Fantasy Book Review

“Totally gripping . . . A fantasy of epic scope, fast-moving action and vivid imagination.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Most exciting . . . A very worthy and absorbing addition to the fantasy field.”—Andre Norton

“The best new fantasty in years . . . has a chance of putting its aughor firmly on the trone next to Tolkien—and keeping him there.”—The Dragon Magazine

The book that started my love of the Fantasy genre

I'm only halfway through the audio, but I think I can safely write a review at this time.

This wasn't the first fantasy novel I ever read, but it was the first that brought a world to life for me and really dragged me in to the genre. I haven't read it in years, and I was afraid my nostalgia was overshadowing the reality of the book but it really does stand up to my memory of it. The characters are compelling and grow and develop with the story. The world(s) is(are) well developed but the author lets you discover it organically as the story progresses, as opposed to an info-dump of world-building.

I will confess that there may be some rose-colored nostalgia in this for me, but I still am really enjoying this audio version. Nicholas Guy Smith is an excellent narrator. While I did only give four stars on the performance, I don't mean that as a knock on his ability. My only (very slight) criticism that kept it from being 5 stars (I would have gone 4.5 if I could) is a bit of a lack of range on his characterizations. Without wording prompts of who was speaking, a few of the characters come across sounding the same. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad by a long shot, or even off-putting enough that I wouldn't want to listen, it's just my $0.02. I'm sure that by the time I finish the rest of the Riftwar books, I won't be able to imagine another narrator in his place.

Excellent Fantasy Novel

I read this book series many years ago and decided to revisit it. It is an almost ideal fantasy novel--all of the stereotypes like elves, dwarfs, and dragons. The book isn't deep, but it's fun. It is also remarkably clean, which is refreshing in a post-Game of Thrones world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy and just wants to read a fun classic. I look forward to listening to the next installment.

classically endearing

I liked this book. it was simple and unpretentious. the characters and feeling were earnest, and the settings fantastical.

Great book. Solid reading.

A slightly lackluster reading of an excellent book. While a traditional fantasy tale in many respects, Magician: Apprentice offers a fast-paced, well-written, and enjoyable introduction to an increasingly enchanting world.

Linear but entertaining still

This is a great story although linear I still found it very entertaining. I had expected much more magic given the title I might add. All in all a descent read and will discover Magician: Master next.